Coming Home
by lewdness
Summary: [RikuSora][Finished!] Eleven years was a long time to not have talked to each other, but Sora was determined to make it work. After all, he had helped save the world, what was one slightly dysfunctional relationship?
1. Chapter 1

Many thanks to my beta, Marliau, who is made of all things awesome and good in the world.

Too tired to say anything other than look, a fic!

--

He didn't have any idea of where to look, honestly. Somehow, Destiny Islands didn't seem like a place that he would have stayed; it was obvious that he was never happy there, but that only narrowed down the choices by one.

Sora dragged a hand through his hair, staring hard at the grainy image of the map on the dashboard of the gummi ship. Was this worth it? Eleven years, _eleven years_ was a long time to have not talked to someone and then randomly seek them out. They hadn't even parted on the best of terms and even now he remembered everything that had happened that day with vivid detail as if it were only yesterday.

"What am I doing?" He murmured softly, tracing a finger over a path of stars only to find himself landing on a world he hadn't been to in almost two years, Radiant Garden. There was no reason to believe that the older man would be there of all places, but at least it was a start. If he wasn't there, then maybe Leon or Aerith or someone else there could help.

It was a start.

--

Sora stepped out of the ship with a wince, his legs already sore from just a few hours journey cramped in the cockpit. Radiant Garden had changed a lot in just those few years since he had been there. Everything was newer looking, from the houses to the generator on his far left, powered and humming much quieter than before. The cobblestone alleyways and roads looked as if they were just as new- the Reconstruction Committee had been working hard and it showed.

"You lost or something?" A teasing voice floated over. The owner jumped down from a ledge by the generator, holding a wrench in one hand and placing the other on her hip.

"Yuffie!" Sora's eyes widened, not having time to say anything else before he was tackled by the woman, landing hard on his back. "Gods, Yuffie, are you trying to kill me? I'm glad to see you, too."

Yuffie snorted, tapping him lightly on the nose with her finger. "You're fine, Sora. Unless, you're calling me fat? 'Cause, I'm pretty sure that's not a nice thing to say to someone who you haven't seen in years- and you never call a girl fat."

Sora snorted. "I'm not calling you fat and you know it."

"It was implied." She retorted with a frown.

"Fat or not, you gotta get up because a piece of your road is pressing into my back and it's really uncomfortable." He grinned when she yelped and rolled off of him, reaching out to give him a hand up as well. The brown-eyed girl looked almost as she had when he had seen her last, save for her longer hair that was swept up into a messy set of ponytails. A black sleeveless undershirt that cut off just over her stomach, complete with simple black pants and a pair of black and white shoes. "So where is everyone?"

"Aerith is the closest; she's working in the garden. C'mon let's go and see her first. She'll be so happy to see you!" Yuffie tugged him through a maze of alleyways and around houses, coming to a harsh stop just before a mass of flowers taller than he was where he could just barely see the edge of a pink dress. "Aerith! Come look who came to see us!"

A brown head poked out from the side, the older woman smiling when she saw the two standing outside of the garden. "Sora, I didn't expect to see you here," Aerith greeted, stepping out of the garden. She pushed off her gloves and left them lying on the ground so she could hug him. Smiling, he accepted the hug from the woman, the scent of fresh flowers and earth clinging to her. Kairi smelled the same way, he realized distantly, shoving that thought to the back of his mind before he could begin thinking about why he was really there. "Are you hungry, or thirsty? I actually have some fresh watermelon inside and I think sandwiches from lunch."

Sora's stomach growled in response, eliciting a laugh from both women. "Food sounds great, actually. This was kind of a trip that I didn't really plan for- last minute," he shrugged, following them after scooping up Aerith's gloves for her before she forgot them. "How has everything b-"

"Sorry!" A young voice shouted, the owner having just ran right into Sora's leg. Blinking in surprise, he turned around and watched the child dart into an alley, catching a glimpse of silver before three other kids followed, their giggles echoing behind them.

Startled, his breath seemingly torn from him in that brief instant, Sora stared after the children, his heart pounding sharply.

"Sora… why are you here?" Aerith said quietly, reaching out and placing a slender finger under his chin and watching him with an oddly serious look on her face.

The brunet man swallowed hard, glancing at the ground, feeling just like the uncertain teen that he had once been. "He's… he's here, isn't he," Sora whispered, knowing that silver hair was rare enough for it to have not been some random child. "Was that…"

"How did you know to come here?" Yuffie asked, for once not bouncing around like normal; she too was abnormally somber. "And…why now?"

"How long have you guys _known _him?" Sora demanded, pulling back from Aerith with a quick step. They were acting like they had been hiding the older boy from him even though they knew he had been looking for him. "Last time I was here- he was here then, too, wasn't he?"

Aerith sighed heavily, shaking her head. "Sora, let's just go sit down and maybe we can explain some things."

Staring hard at them for a minute longer, he fought with himself and then sighed heavily- it wasn't right to take his frustration out on them. "All right."

--

With a few sandwiches, a slice of watermelon and a cup of tea in front of him, Sora felt mildly less crabby and more willing to listen. Riku had probably specifically told them not to give any hint of his whereabouts to Sora on one of his many trips to Radiant Garden. The thought stung more than Sora would care to admit. "So, I think that I deserve an explanation. Were you two even going to tell me, if I hadn't seen the kid?"

"Sora, we can't explain everything to you; some of it just isn't our business. Riku has been here for a long time- going on six years now. Last time you were here… you didn't stay long so it worked out. He asked us not to tell you that he was here and we respected his wishes." Aerith sighed heavily once more, turning to the sink to run water and start some dishes if only to have something to do. "His daughter is the one who ran into you; she's very sweet."

Mouth dry, Sora tried to process everything that he had been told. "H-how old is she?" he managed, taking a hard drink of the lemonade if only to rinse the suddenly bitter taste out of his mouth. Riku had a daughter?

"She's just under six, I believe," Yuffie answered this time, reaching over and taking one of the sandwiches on Sora's plate.

'_Just under six,'_ his mind repeated with shock. Riku had a _daughter_ which meant that he had a girlfriend or a wife. '_Oh gods. Why am I here? This was the stupidest idea that I've ever had; I couldn't just leave well enough alone.' _ Sora took an absent bite of his sandwich, not even really tasting it at that point, simply going through the process of chewing and swallowing mechanically. "He has a wife, then?"

"No," Aerith paused, the glasses she had been washing clinking together after she set them down. "She died in childbirth; he's been raising her by himself mostly."

"I'm going to go see him," Sora whispered, just loud enough for them to hear. "I don't care if you don't tell me where he lives; I'm going to find him with or without your help."

"Eat something first, Sora, and we'll tell you where he is, I promise."

--

He couldn't do this. He wasn't strong enough to do this and coming on a whim wasn't a good enough reason to throw a wrench in Riku's life and oh gods his hand was acting on its own and knocking. Maybe he wouldn't be home. Maybe he was with Leon or with one of the other people, maybe he was out at a job, or maybe he had gone out for a late lunch or-

"Coming," came a call from inside, followed by footsteps and the vaguely ominous click of the door being opened. "Sorry it took so long, wa-"

Sora froze up, his eyes flicking over Riku quickly without his mind processing it- all it knew was that he was standing there right in front of him and that he had missed the older man so much more than he was willing to admit. "H…hi, Riku," he finally managed to get out, his breath annoyingly shaky, throat tight. Riku still hadn't said anything, his bright blue-green eyes fixed on Sora's face, seemingly just as uncertain as he was. "I'm really sorry about this, it's just… it's been eleven years and…"

It was going to be really embarrassing if he ran away right now, Sora thought, pushing down a slightly hysterical giggle at the thought.

"Do you want to come in?" Riku suddenly asked, opening the door a little wider so Sora could come in.

Still feeling terribly awkward, he nodded and followed Riku into his house, pulling the door shut behind him. The house was just as small as Aerith's- it seemed that all of the houses had been built about the same time and probably by the same person, which explained the similar layouts. The walls were painted a tan color, accented by various little things, little homey touches that Sora doubted Riku would have thought of. "How are…" He paused, his hands sliding in the front of his hooded sweatshirt and twisting in the material nervously. "How've you been?"

"Good. I've been pretty good. I'm surprised that you came to see me after so long, though I really shouldn't be," Riku glanced over his shoulder and wandered into what looked like was the kitchen. "You can come in, you know."

Sora looked down at his shoes and debated on if he was supposed to take them off or not- the floor wasn't carpet, it was wood so it might not matter. "Should I take off my shoes?" He called, his eyes scanning over the top of the small fireplace, taking in the sight of the multiple pictures on the ledge.

One was of a little silver-haired girl holding up a fat, gray and white cat, a wide smile on her face. Another was of Riku standing with the same girl on his shoulder; the picture looking like it had been taken while he was spinning around. There was one of a blonde woman sitting on a swing, her legs and arms stretched out, clearly laughing. One of the last ones was of Riku with his arms wrapped around the same woman, his chin resting on her shoulder, a rare smile on his face. The final one was the very same one that Sora had on the small table beside his bed; Riku was slouched in one of the chairs in Kairi's living room with Sora on his lap and Kairi on top of all of them, pressing a kiss to Riku's suspiciously pink cheeks.

A hand suddenly falling on his shoulder made a startled yelp escape him. "Oh! Sorry, Riku." He turned around, finding himself face-to-face with blue-green eyes; their bodies close enough to where he could feel Riku's body heat. Memories of the past assaulted him; eleven years ago this wouldn't have bothered him so much but everything was so different now.

"You don't have to take your shoes off," Riku said quietly, removing his hand from Sora's shoulder. "Aya always forgets to remove hers, so it's not a big deal."

The familiarity with which Riku said the name only reinforced the fact that he was no longer a part of Riku's life. "Your daughter?" Sora asked, his voice just as quiet as Riku's own.

"Yeah," Riku responded, taking a few steps back, his face carefully blank. "Do you want something to eat or drink?"

"No, thanks, though- Aerith made sure to feed me the moment she laid eyes on me," Sora laughed slightly, the noise sounding hollow even to his ears. "I'm sorry for not… well, I couldn't warn you- Gods, Riku, you just dropped off the face of the universe without any warning. Kairi didn't know where you were, you stopped writing letters and _no one_ would tell me where you were. I thought that you would have gotten your fix of disappearing when we were teenagers."

Riku swallowed visibly, his voice unsteady. "I know, I'm sorry, I really am."

"I thought… how was I supposed to know you weren't _dead_?" Sora's fists clenched into tight balls as he fought to keep himself from either yelling or doing something equally embarrassing. He had always known that Riku wasn't dead; the thread that bound all of the Keyblades together, bound the Keyblade wielders as well. The only problem with that was that it didn't serve as a tracking device.

"I know I'm an idiot, Sora, and I handled it badly." Riku shrugged. "You're better off without me."

Sora laughed loudly, his voice cracking as it faded into a choked little gasp. In a quick movement he pressed himself against Riku, his arms sliding around the older man's waist and forcing himself to not think for at least a minute. He swore that his heart stopped when Riku didn't move, didn't even breathe, but then he was being held tightly, and Riku felt familiar and right and he _wasn't_ almost crying. "I missed you so much," Sora managed, pressing his forehead to Riku's shoulder, noting that he was only a few inches shorter now. "I'm so _mad_ at you."

"I know," Riku said again, resting his cheek on the top of Sora's head. "You should be. Like I said, you're better off without me."

Sora shook his head, his fingers tangling in the soft material of Riku's sweater. "Don't say that, you don't know what you're talking about." He drew in another shaky breath to calm himself. How long they stayed like that, he wasn't sure, but their moment came to an end when a stampede of footsteps sounded through the kitchen and into the living room where they stood.

"Aya, who's that? And why's your dad _hugging _him?" A loud whisper from one of the children made Sora look over Riku's shoulder, catching sight of three children with matching looks of curiosity on their faces.

Slowly, Sora drew back, meeting Riku's eyes squarely for a moment before sliding away all the way to smile at the group of kids. "This is my old friend, Sora. He's from where I was born, actually, but now he lives…" Riku glanced over as if realizing that he had no idea what was going on with Sora's life.

"Traverse Town, actually," Sora filled in, taking note of the raised eyebrow.

"Traverse Town," Riku repeated. "Aya, your swimsuit is in the bottom drawer, remember?"

The little girl nodded and scurried off without another word, turning down a hallway to where Sora assumed, was her bedroom. The other two children, one boy and one girl, were still standing there, the latter watching Riku with a scrutinizing expression. "Are you a psycho?" she asked, her hands on her hips.

Sora couldn't resist the snort of laughter.

"_Psychic_," Riku corrected, sending Sora a dirty look. "And no, Sana, I'm not a psychic, Eiji is wearing his swimming shorts, so I figured it out. Who's going to be watching you three?"

"My momma is, she said not to worry. I think that Miss Yuffie is coming, too," Eiji said, fiddling with the end of his shorts as he waited for Aya to come out.

Aya ran back into the room a second later, tugging at her pink skirt and working to get the small t-shirt over her head and the swimsuit top, at the same time. Stifling a small laugh when he realized that she was trying to get her head through the hole where her arm would go, he almost stepped forward to help before Riku moved, tugging at her shirt so it fell correctly and covered the bright pink top she wore. "You know the rules, right?"

There was a huff from the girl as she placed her hands on her hips impatiently, clearly having been forced to repeat this once before. "Be polite, don't leave Miss Yuffie's sight, stay with a friend, and don't drown."

"Sounds good, kid." Riku nodded, ruffling her hair before standing up once more. "Have fun." He waved them off, nodding at the calls of 'goodbye, Mr. Riku!' from the other children as they rushed out the door.

Part of Sora still couldn't believe that Riku was a father and a father of a little girl, at that. Another part of him was still surprised that he had been involved with a woman, though it really shouldn't have been that unexpected- Riku seemed to have a penchant for doing unexpected things.

The living room was dangerously quiet again, the two men both unsure on what they were going to say to break the silence. "When did you meet her?" Sora finally asked, turning to face Riku once more.

"A few years after I left- I was in Traverse Town, actually. I was just coming out of the little bookstore and we ran into each other." Riku glanced over at the pictures on top of the fireplace. "We ended up moving here for multiple reasons and got married a year later."

Nodding wordlessly, Sora's eyes fixed on the wood floors and took in the sight of a particularly long mar in the wood. He couldn't help but think that he had no place in this life. His place in Riku's life had ended more than ten years go, what right did he have going around and trying to worm his way back in? Was it him that had made Riku fall in love with a woman- was she a rebound? '_No, Riku wouldn't use someone like that_,' he thought distantly.

"Sora, look at me." Riku ordered quietly, reaching out and brushing Sora's bangs away from his face in a gesture that mirrored what he had done years ago. Sora obeyed, finally allowing himself to really examine the other man, taking in the little nuances in what had changed and what hadn't. Riku had grown a few inches, filling out nicely, his face a little more angular than before. The hair was just as long as ever, his bangs tapering down in a neat line to where it brushed the middle of his back. A pair of dark jeans and a dark green shirt accented his eyes, making them stand out even more than they did normally.

"You look perfect," Sora finally managed, unable to get away from the shaky laughter that seemed to have plagued him from the moment he had stepped in the door.

"You're an idiot, Sora. I'm an ass and you know it." Riku exhaled sharply, looking as uncertain as Sora knew he probably did. "Are you staying with someone?"

Sora could feel the embarrassed flush rise on his cheeks. "I didn't really think too far ahead when I did this. I didn't even know if you would be here or not and-"

"You should...can, stay here. I have an extra room for when one of Aya's friends wants to stay the night. Though if you don't want to I can under-"

"That'd be... nice. If you're sure you don't mind." Sora's lips turned up in a hesitant smile at the nod. "Thanks."

There was another awkward silence, the two either carefully avoiding each other's gaze or glancing back down at the floor when their eyes met. It felt like hours before Riku suddenly spoke, his voice hushed and hesitant. "Do you think it would be possible to start over?"

"No." Sora answered, without a shred of hesitation, but then regretting it instantly. The shortness in his voice made even him wince. Swallowing hard, he wondered if he had just ruined everything that he thought they had just built up again with such a quick, small word. No. He wouldn't blame all of this on himself, not when it wasn't even he who had vanished without a trace- Riku was just as much at fault for this. "Riku, I don't mean it like that. Even when I was angry at you, I wouldn't give up any of the memories or act like we had never met each other before."

"You're so eloquent, now." Riku laughed lightly, his hands sinking into the pockets of his pants. Biting his bottom lip, Sora met calm blue-green eyes and smiled a real smile this time. "I like that answer."

--

The newcomer was interesting, that was something that Aya was sure of. More than once she had seen his pictures either framed or in her father's photo albums, but he had only been some random face. Now, she had a name and a personality to compare it to- he looked and sounded just like she would have expected him to. Even better, she decided firmly, was that he was willing to play tag in the front yard and she beat him every time.

When she had asked about what he and her father had been, Sora had only done his weird smile and replied with, "old friends." She didn't believe it all the way though- both Sora and her father had those sad looks on their faces, like when he talked about her mom.

At dinner when she had asked about it, her father had simply shook his head and told her it was late and that she should start getting ready for bed. Aya didn't bother arguing- he had that tone where he was tired enough and didn't want to answer any more questions for her- so she would just ask Sora. Unfortunately Sora had been just as useless, simply telling her the same thing that her father had, so there was really only one solution.

--

"Your daughter is a genius," Sora said as he helped Riku finish cleaning up the table. Handing two plates to the other man, he accepted the damp sponge and began to wipe down the table. "She kept asking me what we were and she was nearly running circles around me verbally."

"It's never been very hard, Sora," Riku teased, flicking water at the brunet when he got close enough. There was a raise of a brown eyebrow before Riku found a sponge connecting solidly with his face, less than clean water sliding down his cheeks and dripping off of his chin. "You're also dead."

Aya watched as her father tossed the sponge into the water and practically tackled the other man, pushing him against the wall with a snicker. "You lose," he said with a smirk, trailing soap bubbles down Sora's cheek and laughing openly at the face and insults that followed.

The older man had whispered something and then Sora had said something back that made her father _blush_ of all things. There was what sounded like a, 'sorry,' and then the brunet pulled away quickly- she barely had time to whirl around and press herself against the wall, feeling the rush of air as he rushed past- not quite running but close enough.

A heavy sigh sounded from the kitchen and when she peeked around the corner she saw her father slump against the counter and press his forehead to the cabinets, hissing out a word that she had been warned to never use or she would get soap in her mouth as punishment.

A few minutes later, Aya was debating on if it was worth it to watch them a little while longer or to go to bed finally, like Sora had; waiting was _boring_. Surprisingly, Riku had walked out of his own bedroom a few moments later and moved down the short hallway to where Sora's room was- maybe he was going to say goodnight to him, too? "Aya, go to bed," Riku said, his voice rougher than usual as he glanced over to the small corner where she was hidden. "I'm serious this time; don't think I didn't see you earlier. I'll be in to say goodnight in a minute, but I have to talk to Sora again."

Scowling, Aya moved away from where she was hiding and back to her room, knowing that Riku was watching her all the way to make sure she closed the door. She would be sure to ask Sora in the morning.

--

Sora was stretched out on the twin-sized bed; one pillow was trapped half under his arm and the other half under his head. He had gotten a little neater since the last time that Riku had seen him- the clothes he had been wearing previously were folded on the chair on the other side of the room. A wry smile twisting his lips, Riku glanced once more at the clothes, remembering how Kairi had always nagged them about folding them so there wouldn't be wrinkles- maybe he had taken her advice?

On the bed, the brunet shifted, curling closer into the blanket, his breathing soft and even. The younger man's wallet was sitting on the desk under the curtain-covered window- Riku found he couldn't resist the curiosity. With a quiet snap it was open, revealing the paper munny that had started being used in the last few years, a worn piece of folded paper, and the very same picture that Riku himself had above his fireplace. With hesitation, he slid his fingers in and pulled out the paper, suspecting what it was that Sora would carry around with him. The very last letter he had written to them was not even to Sora himself, it was to Kairi to give to the brunet; it didn't surprise Riku that he had chosen to keep it. With a dull sound, the paper was opened slightly, before folded back into place- he knew what it contained.

"Isn't it bad to be going through someone's stuff when you're not supposed to?" Sora asked sleepily, shifting on the bed and rolling over so he could regard Riku with half-closed eyes. "I kept it."

The non-sequitur barely registered. "I noticed," Riku returned, unable to think of anything else he was able to say. A second later he looked down and managed to wipe the startled and mostly likely guilty look off his face.

Sora yawned, seeming to awaken fully as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. They were kind of like a mixed-up puzzle, he figured, or maybe a broken toy. All they had to do was arrange the pieces up, and they could build up from there- they could build up what had been broken down in eleven years. "We can start over, I think. I'd like to, anyway," he finally said, meeting Riku's bright blue-green eyes, holding one hand out. "Hi. I'm Sora, and you're my best friend, Riku. We lived on the Islands once, but you had to move away for a while. I missed you more than you'll ever know."

Swallowing hard, Riku shook Sora's hand, not resisting when he was drawn into an awkward hug. Instead, he sat down on the bed beside the brunet, his cheek on Sora's shoulder. "I missed you too, Sora." He laughed, the sound registering distantly, sounding full and _real_. "I've gotten my fill of leaving without a word."

"Good," Sora sighed out, relaxing against the taller man, his eyes sliding closed. "Good."

---

Bluuugh, sap.


	2. Two steps forward

Yeah, this only took me like forever to do. :3 Anyway, please enjoy, and really guys, please review. If you're a writer you know how awesome it is to see that people liked your stuff. :)

-x-

The morning after was quiet up until about seven in the morning when he was still sleeping.

"You'll be late," a quiet voice warned. "Hey! So-ra! You will be late for school if you don't get up!"

Sora groaned out something incoherent, curling closer into the covers in an attempt to block out whoever it was trying to wake him up when, clearly, the sun wasn't up yet and he didn't want to go to school.

"I'll get dad! He says that school's important and he'll be-" Aya paused abruptly when Sora shot up in his bed, eyes wide with shock. "School's not that bad." She gave him a weird look and moved away from the bed so he could stand up. "I gotta go get ready, so go see if daddy's gonna get up, okay?"

Mouth dry and head fuzzy from sleep, he decided to simply humor her at first and then try and figure out what the hell was going on. Nodding absently, Sora stood up and stretched, not missing the face Aya made as his back popped into place. This whole place seemed too surreal at that moment- Riku was sleeping in his room, Aya, Riku's _daughter_ was running into her own room to get ready for school. Sighing, he dragged a hand through his messy hair and stumbled his way to Riku's room, scowling as he nearly ran into a door that was locked. Pushing open the correct door, he found his mouth dry at the picture there.

(_"We should get up. Probably. Eventually," Riku yawned, tucking his head under Sora's chin and kissing the shoulder closest to his mouth absently. "Or, you know. Do something and not waste the day in bed."_

_Sora made a tired noise, his right hand absently skimming down one of Riku's sides. "I fail to see how lying in bed and catching up on sleep is a waste of time. I find it very producti-ah." He jumped in shock when one of Riku's hands drifted over his chest and teasingly across his ni-)_

Sora swallowed hard and willed his mind to focus on the now and not the memories of the past- again. Taking two shaky steps forward, he found himself at the edge of Riku's bed, watching the older man sleep quietly. Riku's window was open, the first dim rays of sunlight shining through and shadows playing on the walls as a tree outside his window rustled in the slight wind. The other Keyblade wielder was wearing what looked like a soft green shirt, well worn from multiple uses, and a baggy pair of pants. "Riku," he called softly, frowning when it didn't work. "Riku, c'mon, Aya's up and she thinks I'm going to school or something and I'm not going anywhere near that place."

Stirring slightly, Riku's eyes slid open halfway and then fully with the same amount of shock that Sora himself had felt at finding himself in a house with someone he'd lost for nine years. "You're still here," he said softly, yawning a moment later. Still quiet, he swept his gaze over the brunet once and then a second time as if really making sure. "I kind of thought that you- I mean- _this_ was a dream."

Sora nodded, completely understanding the feeling. Sitting down on the bed gingerly, he simply looked at Riku, taking in the sleep-mussed hair, blue-green eyes and the guarded look that he found part of him had come to hate because having Riku feel that way was the last thing that he wanted. "It's a good dream though, right?" Sora asked, brushing spiky bangs out of his eyes and hoping that he had masked the hesitance in his voice.

"Yeah." Riku sat up, pushing the covers out of the way only to reveal neon green and orange socks. '_Green and orange socks._' Sora couldn't help the snicker that escaped him at seeing them. Blinking with slight confusion, Riku glanced from Sora and then down to where he was looking, laughing a little. "Oh, yes, _those_. For my last birthday, Aerith and Yuffie took Aya out shopping and evidently decided to get me a pair of the most hideous socks they could find."

Sora laughed again, the utter normalcy comforting him more than he thought it would. "They're…very bright," he commented, standing up and yawning as well. The floor was cold- no doubt if he didn't already have socks on, he'd have been asking Riku for a pair earlier or his toes would be freezing by now. "Does she always get up this early?"

"Usually. She actually enjoys school much more than I ever remember enjoying it." Riku stretched and made his way over to the window, reaching out and pulling it closed with a quiet click. Absently scratching his side, he followed Sora out of his room and down the hallway, still only half awake. Aya was already dressed, her hair in what she probably meant to be a pony-tail, but looked like she had gotten lost in a windstorm. Sighing quietly, he gestured with one hand for her to come over. "Come here, Aya, let me fix your hair."

Obediently, she trotted over, examining Sora first and then giggling proudly when she caught sight of the bright socks her father wore. Riku pulled the first rubber-band out of her hair and then the second one before easily finger-combing it back and parting it neatly down the middle for two small ponytails. It took only a few brushes of his fingers before her bangs were arranged and she grinned up at him, hugging his waist gently before turning back to the table and sitting in her normal spot. In those few moments, the feeling that he didn't belong there came back. Riku handled this life with such ease, taking care of a daughter and living on his own; how did he deal with someone intruding on his life when he'd taken such steps to…get away? And did he really have any right to show up and intrude upon this?

As if having a sensor to tell when Sora was feeling that overwhelming doubt, Riku nudged the girl to the table and turned his full attention on Sora. "I know you may not believe me, but there's no other place I'd rather you be." He shot Sora a hesitant, slow smile. "I'm serious, Sora."

Sora nodded, combing his fingers through his own bangs and forcing a smile on his lips to try and at least appear like he didn't feel like an insecure teen anymore. "Alright, then," he finally said, making his way to the table with a nearly inaudible sigh.

Aya didn't seem to be too aware of the suddenly melancholy atmosphere, instead she focused on her cup of juice and popping bits of cereal into her mouth, eating only the colored ones first and then focusing on the plain ones. Every once in a while, she would look up and watch one of the two either reach for something the same time as the other, drawing back and apologizing quietly, or it was just silent save for the occasional request of passing a certain thing.

"Aya, finish up and go brush your teeth, okay? Your book bag is already out by the door along with your shoes and Miss Aerith is going to be here soon, remember?" Riku said once Aya was finished with her cereal and had downed the last of her juice.

The girl was braver than him, Sora thought wryly; juice and sugary cereal wasn't something that he would willingly want mixed together.

"Is Sora coming to school with me, too?" Aya asked, climbing down from the chair and staring expectantly at the two of them.

"No, Aya, he's just…" Riku turned and met Sora's eyes, the younger of the two recognizing the look of apprehension and fear easily, even though it was covered up in a split second. "…just, no. He's already been through school. We went together, remember?"

Aya sighed heavily and made her way to her bathroom, mumbling something about 'not being able to take Sora for show-and-tell.'

The kitchen, decorated warmly with all sorts of accents and homey touches, suddenly grew cold as both men tried to figure out what to do or what to say at that point. "You…you said you lived in Traverse Town, right?" Riku finally asked, stirring his spoon through soggy cereal absently with no intention of eating it. "That's not too far, really, I suppose."

"No," Sora found himself agreeing, all while trying to quiet the voice inside him screaming that it was too far, much, much too far and he was damned if he would let Riku get away again. "I've already been away for more than a day and I should probably get back to Kairi eventually. She knew I was leaving but I said for only less than a day. She'd be really glad to see you, you know, if you wante-"

Riku pushed away from the table abruptly, gathering up his bowl, cup, and spoon and then scooping up Sora's as well, regardless of if he was done or not. "No. I'm not going to-"

"When the _hell_ did you get so selfish, Riku?" Sora demanded suddenly, standing up in a rush and following the taller man around the table. Riku didn't respond, instead picking up miscellaneous items from the table and putting them back on the counter; Sora was sure that they were there earlier and he was simply looking for an excuse to avoid arguing. Growling slightly, he reached out and grabbed Riku's hand, jerking him back a little rougher than he probably needed to. "You left, Riku. _Left us. _No word, no warning, just some little note that you thought would explain everything. I think the least you can do –not for me, for Kairi- is show up and at least prove you still exist. Or has our friendship lost that much value over the years?"

Riku's eyes were narrow and his jaw was clenched with anger; distantly, Sora was glad to get some kind of a rise out of him. Part of him was surprised when Riku's own hand grabbed his wrist and jerked him close. The older man's grip was just a sliver away from being painful, but Sora refused to say or do anything other than stare back with just as stubborn of an expression. "Don't you dare speak to me about that, not when-"

"…Daddy?" A quiet, hesitant voice broke through the haze of anger and tension making both parties jump back with guilt and place forced smiles on their faces. "Are you and Sora…okay?"

Both men glanced down at their hands, jerking back and forcing normal expressions on their faces.

Face and voice carefully blank, Riku nodded. "Yeah, yeah, we're fine Aya, I promise. Are you all ready?" Riku pulled away fully and turned to his daughter, tugging her shirt a little. A moment later he tilted her chin up and smiled up at her, pushing her gently to the entrance and walking a step behind her. A quiet knock on the door made Aya run forward and open it with a grin, grabbing her backpack a scant second later. "Hey, Aerith."

"Good morning to all of you," the woman smiled down at Aya, waving at Sora and then turning her attention to the smaller girl. "All set, Aya?"

Nodding excitedly, she waved back to the two men and followed Aerith down the street to the next house. Quietly, Riku closed the door and then leaned heavily against it, unwilling to meet Sora's eyes. "I have to get ready for work." He pushed himself away and then brushed past Sora, missing the hurt look that followed. "Listen, Sora. I… I know you have to go. But if you want, the spare room is open for you any time." Riku turned around, his voice even quieter. "For…for as long as you like."

Sora was still and silent, swallowing hard as he tried to figure out what he was going to say. With that offer, Riku disappeared down the hallway and to his room, no doubt to take a shower. Sora clenched his hands into fists, making his way back to the spare bedroom and collecting his things in a rush, ditching the pajamas Riku had lent him and putting his clothes from yesterday on, vowing to change as soon as he got back home. After a moment of thought, he packed the pajamas in the small bag he'd brought with him, along with the other small things he'd brought from his ship. Briefly, he debated on leaving a note, but after a second of not being able to find a pen in all of the utter…neatness, Sora figured that Riku would get the idea.

Within ten minutes he was back by his gummi ship, getting into it and setting a course for Traverse Town, leaving Radiant Garden behind in a flare of engines.

--

The door to the hotel clanged open cheerily, leaving Kairi to glance up from the book she'd been reading and greet a potential customer, only to find a tired looking Sora walking in. "Sora! Um…Sora? Did…" she trailed off, not wanting to bring up a sensitive subject, especially if the brunet hadn't found who he'd been looking for. Biting her bottom lip, she set her book down and swung one leg over the front desk and then the other, making her way over to where the brunet stood. "Sora, what happened?"

"I found him," Sora began quietly, not moving even when she placed both hands on his arms. "He's okay. I mean, yeah… he's okay."

Kairi was quiet for a long time before she simply leaned against him, hugging him tightly and tucking her head under his chin. "I'm sorry, Sora, I really am. But it's good to know that he's okay, isn't it?" She very nearly winced at the lameness of the question, knowing full well that part of Sora had gone to find Riku with the intention of bringing him back. In a best-case scenario, she'd hoped that such a thing would happen, but if Riku had already started a life somewhere else, they couldn't expect him to pack up and leave just to come back to them randomly. "Why don't you go ta-"

"Kai, don't," Sora pulled away a little harder than he probably needed, sending her an apologetic look a moment later. "Sorry. Just… I'll explain later, okay? I just want to get a shower and change and I'll tell you what happened." He ruffled Kairi's hair in a halfhearted way, pretending to not notice the obviously worried expression on her face. "I'll meet you out here in like ten minutes or so and we can go to lunch or something, yeah?"

The obvious effort at keeping a semi-normal moment moving only made her swallow hard and nod jerkily, a shaky smile on her lips. "Yeah. Sounds good." Kairi moved back to the desk, watching Sora heft his bag over his shoulder and make his way up the stairs looking far more worn out than she had seen him look in years.

-

A shower had only helped a little bit; he'd stayed in a little bit longer than he normally did, mulling over memories, what to do, what not to do and finally resting his head on the wall and letting the water run over him and rinse the soap off. It had only taken a few aimless swipes of his hand to rid his hair of foam before he turned the shower off and groped around for a towel or two. A few moments later he was getting dressed in simple faded blue jeans and a comfortable navy blue hooded shirt, fastening the crown necklace that he wore ever since he was a child around his neck. His hair was still damp, dripping from some of the strands, but a quick, messy rub from the towel and a shake of his head sent his hair into a somewhat decent state. He didn't look so haggard anymore, he supposed, so that at the very least was something good about coming back.

Kairi was still at the front desk, thumbing through one of the many books she kept under there for when she was bored. At the sound of him coming down the stairs, she carefully folded one of the pages down to keep her place and then stood up. "You look better," she teased, relieved when Sora sent her a wry, almost sheepish smile. "Are you hungry at all?"

"Not really, I ate at…I already ate." Sora shrugged, making his way to the door, surprised when Kairi slipped one arm around his and linked them like they did when they were children. "What about the little café down the street in First District?"

"Sounds fine to me." Kairi nudged him with her hip, grinning up at him when he rolled his eyes and bumped her back, the utter normalcy making him feel better. "So, I want to know, Sora. You…you found him, right?"

It would do no good to keep avoiding the subject, not when he'd went in search of their friend on both their behalves; it would defeat the whole purpose of doing it. "Yeah, I found him. He…he had a daughter- has, I mean. She's almost six. Really cute, really sweet and gods, Kai, he's a good father." Sora paused, floundering helplessly for words and finding himself unable to come up with them. "He won't come back, I know it."

"I figured he wouldn't, just as much as you knew that he wouldn't. He's got a life there and you know that it's hard for him to settle down; we've got no right to make him pack up and leave to come back with us, not when things are going right for him." Kairi smiled up at him, relieved when Sora nodded and at least made an effort to return the gesture. "Look, let's grab a seat and then get down to it."

Following the redhead, he replayed her words over in his head, not sure he liked the sense of finality he got from them. The waitress greeted them with a smile, asking how the hotel was and what they had been up to recently, along with other little mundane things that Kairi fielded easily, keeping up the small talk while Sora simply smiled back and nodded, only half listening. When the time to order drinks came, he threw out the first thing that came to mind; he wasn't really in the mood to eat or drink, but they were there so he might as well make the best of it. The waitress left a moment later, leaving the two of them to talk in the corner.

"You think I'm blind, don't you?" Kairi asked with a raised eyebrow, unfolding her napkin and gracefully placing it on her lap. "'Cause you're acting like I won't see that you're still in love with him."

Sora frowned, part of him wondering if he was just that transparent and the other half disgusted that he still hadn't gotten over a little crush. "I still like him, not in love with. And it's useless; he has a daughter and he had a wife."

"So?" Kairi waited for a response, thanking the friendly waitress when she returned with cups of coffee for both of them. She got the regular, while Sora politely declined and then they were alone again. "Did he kiss you?"

Sora nearly spit out his first sip of coffee, sending her an incredulous look over the rim of the cup only to see the shameless smirk on her lips. "He did, didn't he?"

"_No_," the brunet man muttered, ignoring the kick he got in the shins.

"Did _you_ kiss him?"

"No. Kairi, just leave it alone. This is how it's going to be. We'll maybe visit once in a while, check in, see how he's doing and then that'll be it. We're not friends like we used to be before, no matter what we said-" He paused, remembering the quiet question of starting over and then he shoved it out of his mind. Obviously there was no point on lingering on it.

"You're an idiot." Kairi took a dainty sip of her flavored coffee, her voice just as calm and level as it ever was. "A moron. Both of you, actually. Get over yourself, Sora, and don't act like a puppy who just got kicked. So you and Riku had a fight- big deal, you always got into fights when you were younger, the only difference this time is that you can't physically fight it out. That means you two have to act like adults, however painful that might be. It's not that hard though." She gave him a pointed look. "Go see him. Again. If I see you before one, no… _two_ weeks are up, I'm locking you out of the hotel and you get to go room with someone else. And you won't get your things."

"Kai, I have a Key-"

"Locked. Out. I don't care if you can unlock the doors, I won't let you in until you stop acting like an idiot."

Sora winced, propping his chin up on one of his hands and tried to concentrate on something else that didn't involve the older man, only to come up with nothing. Great.

--

Later that day, Kairi tossed a bag out onto the street of First District, a second bag following it shortly thereafter. There was a muffled cry of protest and then the redhead was pushing Sora out the door, ignoring any arguments that he might have had. "Two weeks. You know where your ship is. Have fun." She pulled him close, placed a kiss on his forehead and then pushed him out of the way fully, with that smile on her lips that usually meant nothing good. "Two weeks, remember?"

"You're heartless," Sora muttered, yelping when she kicked him behind his knee and glaring back at her only to get an innocent smile in return. "I'll keep in contact, alright?"

"I know you will."

--

He didn't know what he was supposed to expect when he came back. Somehow he suspected that Riku thought he would never come back and distantly a little voice told him that Riku probably thought the same of Sora as well. They were too much…too much of something; neither of them had been able to decide. Maybe it was that they were too similar; they'd grown up together, had similar interests- maybe it was that. Or perhaps it was that they were too different. They'd grown up together, but they'd also fought battle after battle against one another, striking blows meant to _kill_; maybe they couldn't make up for that.

Lips twisted in a slight scowl, Sora docked the ship and flipped off all of the switches, making sure that he had the key and the rest of his baggage. Cid was waiting outside of the ship, a cigarette pinched in-between his teeth, the tip glowing dimly as he held another in his hand. "Hi, again," Sora greeted with a vague smile, handing the keys to the cranky older man.

"How long you stayin' this time, kid?" Cid asked, swiping the keys and jamming them into his pocket.

"…I don't know. I'll figure it out soon, though, don't worry. I have money- for you holding my-"

Cid grunted under his breath, dropping the cigarette onto the ground and stomping it out with his boot before sticking the second one in his mouth, talking around it as he tried to light it. "I gotta solution for you. You need a job, and I need someone to work for me. I'll pay you and somma' the munny'll go to me keeping this ship for you, and the rest is for whatever the hell you want."

Blinking, Sora felt a wry smile creep up on his lips as he shook the older man's hand. "Deal."

--

Sliding on a warmer jacket, Sora zipped it up and prepared to head for Riku's house again. Aerith had been kind enough to lend him her spare room for however long he might need it, though she had remarked that by the end of the night he would be back with Riku either way. He wished that he shared her optimism.

Jamming his hands into his pockets, Sora stepped out into the chilly night air and closed the door behind him. The walk to Riku's house was both familiar and foreign; he'd been all around Radiant Garden multiple times, fighting Heartless and Nobodies, but taking a specific path to someone's house- to _Riku_'s house- was new. The lights were on inside, visible through the tan shades that hung over the windows. With a final deep breath, he knocked on the door and waited.

A mad rush of footsteps followed the three sharp raps and then the door was swinging open revealing a pajama-clad, damp-haired and grinning Aya, holding her toothbrush in her hand. "You're back! I told daddy 'cause I'm always right but-"

"Aya, go finish your teeth first and then come out here and talk," Riku interrupted gently, standing in the doorway between the hallway and the living room, his arms crossed. Aya groaned dramatically but ran back to the bathroom leaving the two men alone for a moment. "You're letting the cold air in."

Laughing a little, Sora rubbed the back of his neck and stepped in to close the door behind him. There was a moment of awkward silence, both of them trying to figure out what to say before Riku finally broke it again. "Aya was convinced that you would come back; she helped me fix up the guest room a little more- you know that you're welcome to stay if…" he trailed off, stepping forward at the same time as Sora and then pausing. "For as long as you like. For however long you're staying."

"Is it a good idea?" Sora asked quietly, resisting the urge to fumble and take back the words- but he needed to know. "Gods, Riku, you know I've missed you, but I don't want to-"

"You should stay. You're not…you're not ruining anything- you never have, it's always been me. So let me try and make something right for once, okay?"

Sora's lips twitched up in a vague ghost of a smile and it widened as he was tackled by a bundle of damp hair and energy. "Daddy owes me three munny! I told him that you'd be back and he said if you did he'd give me three munny!"

A wry smile on his own lips, Riku moved over and swept his daughter up with one hand, holding her on his hip. "Right, right, you win. Off to bed, it's already past your bedtime and you can talk to Sora later tomorrow, alright?" The girl nodded, arms around her father's neck as they moved close to Sora. She pressed a kiss to his cheek and grinned when Sora flushed a little, not thinking anything of it when her father whispered, "Best three munny I've lost in my life."

The two disappeared into the hallway leaving Sora to turn to the door and go back to Aerith's to get his things, only to have someone knock on the door twice. "I've got it," Sora called, opening the door and blinking when he saw Leon standing there, hair a little longer than he remembered, but the same jacket, same necklace and same cool gray eyes. "Leon- hi! I haven't-"

"Aerith's kicking you out," Leon said smoothly and a vague smile curled his lips. "Somehow I got dragged into bringing it here."

Grinning a little and feeling giddier than he could remember in weeks, Sora grabbed his bags and shook Leon's hand firmly when it was held out. "Thanks."

The younger brunet shouldered one of his bags and couldn't deny the warmth that spread when Leon placed a hand on his shoulder and murmured, "It's good to see you back; you're good for him."

Later that night found him unpacking his things into the guest room, only to find something square and hard in the bottom of one of the suitcases. Curious, he lifted it up and unwrapped the quick wrapping job to find a gleaming silver picture-frame with an intricate design of interlocking crowns, paopu fruits and hearts surrounding the picture. It was a copy of the one that all three of them held, though in much better condition than the one he carried around in his wallet. With the picture frame there was a carefully written letter, folded up neatly. Unfolding it, he found a familiar keychain- Oathkeeper- along with a new one, a solid silver moon fading into a series of interlocking chains with a black and silver heart, outlined in shining red.

_Sora,_

_I know things are going to be fine between you two- they always are, it just takes some time, sometimes. _

_Here- the moogles were all too happy to have these made for you, actually. They were talking about how you brought them all sorts of rare items and such and I figured it fit. The picture-frame is charmed so if it drops or anything it won't break (not that you're clumsy or anything!). The two keychains are for you and Riku- I asked the moogles to add a few new things to Oathkeeper and they made a new one for Riku. Hopefully you'll never have to use them, but all the same I think that they'll be useful just in case. _

_I know you'll be busy for the next few days, weeks, so have fun. Tell Riku I say hi and that I expect all of you to come visit or you'll all be in big trouble! _

_Take care, okay? I know things will go well for you two, you'd have to be blind to not be able to see that you're both still in love with each other. I'll talk to you guys soon and stay out of trouble!_

_Love, Kairi_

The note was carefully folded back up and tucked in behind the picture so he wouldn't forget about it. The keychains were left out beside it so he could give the one to Riku and, touching the picture-frame, Sora felt something inside him relax.

-

Sometimes Sora wondered about the future and sometimes he tried to simply forget it and 'live in the now,' as Riku liked to say. The switch in roles shouldn't really have surprised him that much, Sora supposed; after all, Riku had always been good at taking what was expected, throwing it on the ground and then doing a little dance on top of it. It was one of the man's quirks and it was something that made him more approachable and less… Sora didn't quite know the word for it. He wasn't scared of the older man, at least not scared in a way that meant he was afraid for his life. It was more of a cautious worry, fueled by the lingering thought of, '_What if he disappears again?'_

No. He wasn't going to think about that, because he'd made a promise and after everything he'd gone through, he wouldn't break another one, no matter how small. He trusted Riku with every inch of his being.

--

Sapy sap sap, I know. :3 There really wasn't going to be any more of this, but uh, people liked it and it just grew. Thanks, guys. XD Also thanks to my beta chibinekodoll who is amazing at betaing, hee. 3 Am still working on part three which will be the last part, so I can work on other things. Don't forget to check out the lesser known fic-rec listfor those on it's located at my writing LJ which you are more than welcome to friend. stuff is put there quicker anyway, and if you would like, review. I adore reviews like you would not believe.


	3. 3: Home at last

A/N: This is long lol. This whole fic has been both fun to write and a pain to write, honestly. I think I've come a long way from where I was when I started this to where I am now, but RikuSoraRiku is still the pairing that got me into buttsecksing fun, so they're always close to me when I do shipfic. Not much else to say other than thanks again to Chibinekodoll for betaing and being lovely. Please tell me what you guys think? I don't write fluff very often so, hopefully it ended up okay.

Warning, also: lemonishness near the end between the boys. :)

-

It was raining- pouring torrents outside and for once, Sora was happy- it meant he didn't have to go to work today. Riku would be getting home in half an hour, and Aya was due home at any time. Sighing, Sora sprawled out on the couch, tucking one arm under a pillow and throwing the other over his eyes. Radiant Garden was a nice place to live, he thought absently, listening to the sound of the rain dripping off of the roof and hitting the ground. He didn't regret being there- not in the slightest. Riku was here and Aya had grown on him instantly and-

The door clicked open suddenly and then closed again leaving a dripping wet Aya standing there, still holding her small pink umbrella over her head. Her jacket looked larger than normal, something odd, but Sora supposed she'd put her backpack under it so it wouldn't get wet when she came home.

"Hey, did you have a good time at school?" he asked, standing up and walking over to go and help her take off the boots and put the umbrella away. To his surprise she made a startled noise, fumbled around, kicked her boots off and thrust the umbrella in his hand before scrambling off to her room. "…Aya? Are you okay?"

"Fine! 'mfinereally!" came the muffled call back, along with what sounded like her rearranging things in her room.

"Ahuh…" Sora raised an eyebrow but decided to leave it alone- he didn't have much experience with kids, maybe it was just one of those...things they did. She was Riku's kid and Riku was a little…interesting himself, so maybe it was his genes or something. Sighing again, he made his way to the kitchen to grab a rag to mop up the floor, setting her boots to the side of the door and on top of the doormat meant for that kind of thing. It was quiet in the house again, save for the distant sounds of her moving around in her room, until the door suddenly opened again, only this time it hit Sora, knocking him to the side with the force that the door was pushed.

"Ow, shi-…" he winced, gingerly pushing himself up and glaring at the older man. "_Crap_, Riku. You want to open that a little harder? I don't think anything's broken but you're welcome to try again."

Riku looked suitably cowed at that, shrugging off his jacket and hanging it on the hooks on the back of the door with the rest of the coats. "How was I supposed to know you were there? Normal people don't lurk behind a door, you know." He grinned sheepishly down at Sora, offering a hand up.

Rolling his eyes, Sora took it and moved to stand up, only to slip back down with the combination of Riku's rain-damp hands and the water all over the entrance. Landing hard back down on his ass was apparently the funniest thing that Riku had seen all day, because he wasn't even trying to hide his laughter anymore and it only grew when he caught the sulky, irritated look on Sora's face.

"You're a jerk, Riku," Sora scowled his cheeks pink, only to find a smile curling his lips at the infectious laughter. Once more he accepted the hand offered to him, this time with no problems aside from the fact his pants were soaked and his socks were leaving little trails of water wherever he walked. "Glad I amuse you."

Riku chuckled again, shaking his head absently and sending water droplets flying. "I love a source of entertainment and it just so happens to be that one lives with me." He glanced around the room, taking note of the small pink boots and umbrella already in their places. "Aya's here?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, she got here about ten minutes before you did. She's in her room doing… Well, I don't know exactly what it is that she's doing, but yeah, she's here," Sora grimaced at the squishy feel of his socks and the way his pants stuck wetly to his legs. "I'm going to go change, I think. Is it my turn to make dinner?"

Riku shrugged, dragging his hands through his hair and wincing when it snagged on a knot. "I think so- if you want to, you can. Or if you want me to, it doesn't really matter to me. I'm going to go and take a hot shower and then change." He tugged his hand through his hair again and scowled.

"I'll cook, it's no big deal, you go ahead and shower, and I'll go check and see what Aya's doing right now," Sora moved to walk past Riku, startled when his wrist was grabbed gently and he was pulled back and face-to-face with the older man. "…Riku?"

Riku looked puzzled for a moment, as if he didn't quite know what to say or, if he did know, how to go about saying it. Because, honestly, how did one even thank someone for what Sora had done so far. '_Thanks for putting up with my disappearing acts. Thanks for giving me a second, third and even fourth chance when I really didn't deserve it_.' "I just…" Riku paused and laughed sheepishly once more, yet he didn't release Sora's wrist. "Thanks. For everything."

"You don't have to say that," Sora couldn't help the smile that curled his lips as he moved closer, sliding his hand down and intertwining their fingers while his other hand found its way around Riku's waist. There was a brief moment of quiet, before he tilted his head up at the same time as Riku ducked his down and Sora was sure he was going to either explode from happiness or hit Riku for taking so damn long to do anything. Pulling back briefly, Sora glanced up into Riku's eyes and then they were kissing again, lightly and almost teasingly, but gods knew that it was a step in the right direction after everything that they had gone through.

"No! What are- stoooop!"

Riku jerked back, his eyes wide, fully expecting to see Aya standing there; instead, the loud shrieking was coming from her room. "Gods help us all." He rolled his eyes, resting his forehead against Sora's. "I'd better change, I'm dripping all over the floor."

"I noticed. I'll see what she's going on about and see if she wants to help make dinner. After she goes to bed maybe… maybe we could talk?" Sora looked up at Riku, relieved when the taller man nodded before pulling away. "Alright. It's a plan, then."

-

It looked, Sora mused, like someone had dropped a bomb in Aya's room. There were clothes everywhere, her pencils strewn across the floor (…were they…chewed on? He hoped she wouldn't get poisoned or something equally bad but weren't those kind of things supposed to be non-toxic?) and the entire room was just… "Aya? What's going on?"

"Nothi-" Came Aya's muffled voice, from inside the closet. What sounded like nails scraping against the wall followed, and then a "SHHHHH!"

"Aya, what do you have in there, a wild animal?" Sora asked jokingly, sliding open the closet and then raising an eyebrow. "…Oh. You do."

The little girl looked ruffled to say the least, with her arms wrapped around the lanky form of a muddy puppy with brown eyes. "He's lost," she said quietly, uncaring that the mud had carried off from the dog and onto her. "And it's raining and I couldn't leave him, 'cause…he's cute and _lost_. And please don't tell daddy 'cause I like him an' he's lost an' he has nowhere to go and I really, really, really like him and I'll take care of him, I swear. I won't eat as much and I can feed him and let him out when dad's at work and please-"

Sora knelt down, reaching out a hand and scratching the dog behind the ear with a sigh. "Aya, your dad's going to notice that something's up, you know that." The puppy whined as if it knew that it was being talked about, worming his way out of Aya's arms and licking Sora's hand. "Do you know how much work a dog is?"

"Some. A lot," she crossed her arms and tried to wipe away a streak of mud on her face. "Probably."

"Yeah, lots. You're right. And you've never had a pet before, have you?" Sora sighed, making a face at the mud that covered his hand. "They're lots of work and I doubt that this one is potty-trained."

"But," Aya sniffed and curled her arms around her legs. "But he's lost and alone. I promise to take really good care of him, really."

Sora drew in a breath and then released it, trying to figure out what to do. The dog seemed to be well behaved enough, obviously liked children and if Aya was right and it didn't have anyone to live with, then…well, he'd always liked dogs. "I'll ask your father, but no promises, okay? It's up to him and what he says goes, alright?'

Aya nodded, huddling up to the dog and giggling quietly when it licked her cheek. "Do you like him?"

Eyes even wider than before, Sora drew back and tried to think about what to say. She was perceptive but had she really picked up on his and Riku's relationship (or, rather, lack thereof so far)? Were they too obvious? "W-what do you mean?"

"The puppy," she stated, giving him a look that quite clearly said she thought he was stupid. "Do you like him?"

"Oh. _Oh_. Yes, he's very… nice, even if he's covered in mud. How about you go take a bath really quickly, put all your muddy clothes in a separate pile by your clothes hamper, and I'll figure out what to do with the dog, okay?"

Aya let out a gleeful giggle, throwing herself at the brunet man and nearly kicking the dog in the process. Holding her back so the mud wouldn't get tracked to him as well, Sora couldn't help but wonder what he had just gotten himself into.

--

"…What is that?" Riku asked quietly, taking in the sight of a pajama-clad Aya, sweater and jeans clothed Sora, and what was most certainly a muddy puppy all standing in his kitchen.

"It's a puppy," Sora and Aya said at the same time, accompanied with a bark by said puppy.

"I see that. Why is it in the kitchen?" Riku glanced from each face and then down to the dog. "…It's getting mud on my floors." The puppy whined again, trotting over and moving as if he was going to rub against Riku's leg. "No! Bad- um- muddy, wet dog."

Surprisingly, the dog listened, pausing and sitting obediently with its tongue hanging out.

"He behaves well, he's good with kids, he doesn't have a home," Sora shrugged, leaning back against the counter.

"It's a dog. We're not all home all the time- who would watch it while we're not here?" Riku glanced down at the puppy once more and then at his daughter who was pouting. Even Sora was allied against him. "He's a lot of work. I'm sure there's a place that takes in stray animals, we can-"

Aya darted in front of the puppy, her arms crossed and sniffing. "But, but he's _cute._"

"Ri, could it hurt anything?" Sora asked quietly, watching as Aya stood protectively in front of the puppy.

"Sora. Do you remember when we were kids? Remember that goldfish you had? Remember the other two you got after that? And then the bird after those? Remember the cat after that?" Riku pinched the bridge of his nose, sure that a headache was coming on if he had to deal with two puppy-wanters. "Remember the trend here? They all lasted like a month, if that."

There was a sharp gasp from the little girl who was giving Sora an accusing look. "You _killed_ your pets?" Aya turned her attention to her father. "He didn't…eat them, did he?"

Sora shot Riku a dirty look that clearly said, 'it's your fault that your daughter thinks I kill animals for fun.' (Besides, it hadn't been intentional-he was young! How was he supposed to know that goldfish didn't like people food when they were out of fish-food? And birds, well, it wasn't his fault that Kairi's cat ate both of them- he thought that it would be nice if they got out and stretched their wings; how was he supposed to know that Albert was lurking around? And the cat…well, they didn't talk about Sora Jr.).

"What? No! I didn't kill them or eat them! They- um. We gave them away. Because… because-"

"They're a lot of work. He gave them away because they're a lot of work and Sora-"

Raising an eyebrow, Sora waited for Riku to finish the sentence and snickered when he didn't.

Dragging a hand through his hair, Riku fought the urge to sigh again. "Why don't you go change into your bathing suit and take the puppy into the bathroom and we can give it a bath so it's not tracking mud all around, okay? Don't start the water, but just wait for one of us."

Aya's face brightened instantly, assured that someone (besides the puppy, of course) was on her side. Clapping her hands she cooed to the puppy, giggling when it followed her, licking her hand every once in a while.

Both men were left in the dining room, one irritated, the other vaguely amused at the situation. "What's it going to hurt, Riku? If we're gone during the day, we can take him to Aerith. You know she loves animals," Sora stepped closer until there were only a few inches between them, lightly wrapping his arms around Riku's waist. "And, he's cute. You seem to have this thing for taking in strays, why stop now?"

Riku rolled his eyes, draping his arms over Sora's shoulders. "You aren't a stray, Sora, and you know that." He tilted his head to the side a little and pressed a hesitant kiss to Sora's lips. "You've got no idea how glad I am that you're here with me."

A quiet, pleased noise escaped the brunet man, a smile curling his lips at the warmth that rose in him at those words. "I'm glad, too," he said quietly, meeting Riku halfway for another light kiss and then another and another and he finally moved one hand up and over to curl around the base of Riku's neck and pull him a little closer, parting his lips.

Nipping Riku's bottom lip gently, he gradually deepened it, his tongue exploring Riku's mouth slowly, relieved when the older man groaned quietly and kissed him back. _This…_ Sora thought distantly, _this is how it should have been. _He broke away for a minute, meeting Riku's half-open eyes and feeling his stomach tighten when they darkened with something he'd come to recognize early on- lust. "Ri, the puppy- mmm…" Sora shivered pleasantly, moaning quietly at the mix of the kiss and the way Riku's hand had begun to wander, slipping under his shirt across his torso gently.

Turnabout was fair-play, Sora figured distantly as his own fingers worked on slipping under Riku's shirt and exploring warm skin that was oh-so-familiar.

"Aya…" Riku whispered against Sora's lips. The brunet released a shaky breath, arching into wandering hands with another soft moan. "I need to check on Aya and… gods. I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

Victory. Grinning triumphantly, Sora planted another kiss on Riku's lips and then forced himself to pull back before they got started again- no matter how much he wanted to. "I'll help her wash the puppy, since you already took a shower. Do you want to handle dinner?"

"Yeah, yeah, I suppose. Don't tell her we're keeping it yet, we'll talk about it over dinner," Riku dragged a hand through his bangs, licking his lips absently and laughing quietly when Sora poked him in the side as if admonishing him for it. "After dinner. We'll talk after dinner."

-x-

The puppy, when not covered in mud and soaking wet, was actually even cuter. It was a dark, rich brown with long legs that Sora supposed he would grow into eventually- rather, they'd found out while bathing it that it wasn't a male, but a girl. Aya had been entirely too happy about it, gleefully talking about how more puppies would come. Somehow, Sora highly doubted that Riku would agree to such a thing, no matter how much munny or kisses were offered; he wasn't about to tell Aya that, though.

Freshly washed and toweled down, Sora told Aya to change back into her clothes and take the dog out into the kitchen with Riku while he changed as well, his clothes just about as wet as the dog itself.

When he came out, Aya was sitting on the ground with the puppy in her lap, holding it close and watching her father with the pout still on her lips. "Sora likes her, don't you?" She asked as soon as she caught sight of the brunet.

"Aya, it's up to your father, not to me, because I'm not the one who owns the house," Sora shot Riku a look, wondering when he would break the news.

"Everyone sit down first and let's get ready to eat and then we can talk about the dog," Riku handed Sora the glasses and Aya a few spoons, joining them at the table with bowls of soup for all of them. Bread and cheese were already sitting out, along with apple and grape juice (Aya switched from day to day which one she liked more). "Remember how much work we said a puppy is?"

"Lots," Aya responded, gesturing to the apple juice and taking a sip when it was poured for her. "Lots and lots. But I can do it, I promise!"

Riku propped his chin up on one hand, examining her for a moment before sighing quietly. "What are you going to name her?"

The shriek of joy that followed made Sora wince and wonder if it was natural for a little girl to make that sharp of a noise. In a slightly clumsy move, she made her way to her father and kissed him on the cheek. Scrambling away from the table for a moment, she threw her arms around the puppy that whined softly and licked her cheek.

"Well? What do you want to call her? She can't go around without a name." Riku took a sip of grape juice, meeting Sora's eyes from across the table. "And just so you know, if she makes a mess, you and Sora get to clean it up."

"What? Ri- it's your dog!" Sora kicked Riku under the table. "Your house, remember?"

"Ah, no, I think it was you who wanted to keep her, so that makes her your responsibility," The grin widened at the noise that escaped Sora; a mix between irritated and resigned. "She seems to be well enough behaved; I wouldn't worry about it too much. Aya, come up here and eat and we'll discuss a name for your dog."

Practically skipping back she bounced in her chair grabbing a piece of bread and dipping it in her soup before taking a bite. "Princess!" she proclaimed.

"Hey, no talking with your mouth open," Riku said with the ease of someone who'd said the same thing over and over. "And 'Princess'?"

Sora's noise wrinkled at the name, imagining calling that out every time they looked for her. Thankfully, Aya seemed to agree. "Nooo, how about…" She made a face as she thought. "Flower?"

Both Riku and Sora winced at that. "What about Goofy?" Sora suggested with a grin. "Or better yet, _Donald_."

"Those are _boy _names! You can't name a _girl_ puppy a _boy_ puppy's name!"

Riku shot Sora a nasty look; it was common knowledge that it was best if the magician and the older Keyblade wielder stayed far apart because they had never gotten along.

"Maleficent?" he suggested, taking a spoonful of the soup, ignoring the vaguely amused look Sora sent him. "Right…maybe not the greatest name around here."

Sora shrugged, scooping up the last spoonful of his soup and turning slightly to scan the countertops. "Hey, Ri. Do we have any muffins left?"

"Muffin!" Aya's arm shot up, still holding her spoon. "We can call her Muffin!"

As if in agreement, the puppy sniffled quietly before lying down again.

"…Muffin?" Sora echoed.

"Yes, Muffin! Muffin's the best name!

"I suppose Muffin's the least disagreeable name we've come up with so far," Riku admitted slowly. "And no, we don't. I had the last one for breakfast this morning."

Dinner went smoothly after that, the newly named "Muffin" getting most of the leftovers until they could go and buy dog food tomorrow morning. Aya was told to let Muffin out into the back yard to use the restroom while staying off the wet grass, while the two men worked on cleaning up the kitchen.

"I suppose that Muffin isn't too bad," Sora said dubiously, running dishes through the water and scrubbing them with the sponge. "I mean, compared to Princess and Flower, it's the greatest name ever."

Riku nodded, taking the clean plate that Sora held out and swiping a towel over it a few times to dry it. "It's much better than Sora Jr.," he teased, leaning over to put the plate away where it belonged. "He's much cuter than you are, too, you know."

Sora raised an eyebrow and the look on his face made Riku wonder just what it was he was going to say. "Riku, I didn't know you were into…_that_. I mean, you know, if you are, that's your choice, but-"

Mouth working silently for a moment, the older man felt a laugh escape. "You're sick." Riku elbowed the brunet, glad that Aya wasn't around so he wouldn't have to answer any questions of what Sora was talking about. "And, if my memory is correct –which it is, unless someone's been messing with it again- then I seem to remember a certain little brunet boy wandering around with a dog and a duck for the better part of a year or two. I wouldn't be pointing fingers there, Sora."

Snickering quietly and a little more than mildly grossed out at the prospect of doing anything with the magician and knight, Sora finished up the dishes and flicked the last bit of water at the other man.

"Oh, no, we're not starting that up again," Riku warned, pushing Sora's hand down and attempting a scolding glare. "Nice try though."

Smiling wryly, Sora grabbed Riku's wrist and pulled him close for a short kiss, keeping it light and teasing. The ability to do this, the familiarity of it, all of it made Sora feel a million times better than he could remember feeling recently, because things were coming together.

--

It had taken a few minutes to get comfortable; the couch in Riku's living room wasn't really meant to fit two fully grown men, but they made it work. Back pressed to the couch, Riku was half on his side and half on his back with Sora pressed up against him snugly, the two of them fitting nearly perfectly together. Sighing, Sora shifted a little bit and draped an arm around Riku's waist, resting his cheek on the man's chest. The house was quiet for the first time in a few weeks- it wasn't often that they got it to just themselves, even if it was for only a short time.

"What time do you think Aya'll come back?" Sora asked, making a pleased noise and arching his back slightly when Riku's fingers moved in warm circles over the small of his back, relaxing him much more.

"I don't know. Probably after dinner would be my guess, but it depends on who's at the birthday party. Aerith already said that she'd take care of getting Aya home, so that gives us a little more time I suppose," Riku relaxed back into the couch, the warmth from Sora's body and the contentment he felt at that point lulling him and making him sleepy.

"Remind me to thank her later," Sora murmured, his voice sounding just as tired. The day really hadn't been that hard, Cid had let him off early and when he had gotten home, Riku was already there, but he supposed that it was the quiet contentment that was making his eyes slowly fall shut. "Aren't we a little old for naptime?"

Riku laughed, shifting so he could drape his other arm around Sora just as comfortably. "Never too old."

"Mmmhmm," Sora drew in a deep breath and then sighed, dangerously close to falling asleep himself. "We'll wake up after half an hour or so, right?"

"Mmhmm," Riku echoed, though the response was less than firm. A few minutes later, both were asleep.

-x-

Knocking once on the door and then a second time a little harder got Aerith nowhere. Aya had said that they might be out or even asleep and that all she needed were her pajamas and the teddy bear with the blue ribbon around its neck, _not_ the one with the pink one. Opening the door, she toed off her shoes, letting Muffin off of her leash and then glanced around.

"Riku? Sora?" She took a few steps forward into the living room. "Are you ho- oh."

Both men were still asleep, curled up snugly on the tan couch. Muffin ignored them, jumping up onto the small chair, shaking herself and then curling up in the seat. As quietly as she could, Aerith made her way to Aya's room, picking out the necessary things and putting them in the small duffle bag that the girl normally used when she spent the night elsewhere. The teddy bear was placed in last ("Be careful! You don't want him to suf-stuff- suffocated," Aya had declared), and she zipped it up carefully before heading back out to the kitchen to look for a piece of paper. There were none- or if there were, Riku's neatness had hid them away from anyone; she'd have to wake one of them up so they actually knew where Aya was.

Muffin cracked an eye open at the soft footsteps of the brunette, closing it again a moment later.

Hesitantly, Aerith reached out and shook Sora's shoulder as gently as she could, relieved when he woke up without too much trouble.

"Mmwha…" Sora blinked, shifting and pulling away a little bit from Riku. Why was Aerith here without Aya? Blinking once, he tried to keep his mind from going to the worst possible scenario and settled for a simple question. "Aerith? Where's A-"

"She's spending the night at Sana's house, I figured I'd just come over and get her things and tell you. I couldn't find any paper to write you a note- Riku-"

_Oh._ "Is a neat-freak, yeah," Sora couldn't help the flush on his cheeks at being caught in such a compromising and obvious situation, but forced it down as he tried to slide away from Riku in an attempt to stand up. Stirring slightly, Riku's green eyes opened as he tried to figure out why Sora was getting up.

"S'Aya here?" He asked, his voice rough from slight disuse. Blinking, he lifted his arm and felt Sora move away, the reason becoming clear a second later. "Aerith!"

Laughing quietly at twin looks of embarrassment, she shook the little duffle bag to draw their attention to it. "Aya's sleeping over at Sana's house, so you have this night to yourselves. I tried to find a pen and paper to let the two of you know, but I didn't have any luck."

Yawning, Riku shook his head. "No, no, you're fine. Uhmm. Thanks, by the way. What time am I supposed to go and get her?"

"A little after lunch, her mother said. Sorry about having to wake you two up," she smiled, tucking her bangs behind one ear. With a nod to both of them, she made her way out, waving slightly at the hesitant replies of, "Thanks," and "'Night."

When the door clicked behind her, Sora couldn't help the sigh of relief. "That was a little awkward," he murmured, turning and looking down at Riku. "But, this is the first time since I've been here that we've had the house to ourselves."

The subtle question was there, the question that both of them had been dancing around for the longest time because neither one had wanted to give life to it. Riku nodded, trying to think about what to say but instead settling on sitting up slightly and pulling Sora down to meet him.

"I…" Sora shifted, kneeling so he was straddling one of Riku's thighs in a bit of a more comfortable position. "We…"

"I don't remember you being this _shy_, Sora," Riku teased gently, a small smile on his lips as he placed his hands gently on Sora's slender hips. "I keep on saying it, I'm glad you're here; I want you to stay here if you want to. I'm not going to force-"

Sora shook his head, wrapping his arms around Riku's neck and bent forward a little so his forehead was pressed to Riku's, his gaze steady. "I know you won't, stupid. I know." He tilted his head to the side a little, kissing Riku's barely parted lips once, twice and a third time, each one light and fleeting. How did he go about explaining that there was that nagging doubt inside him that wouldn't die no matter how much he tried to convince himself of the truth? It wasn't that he doubted Riku, but there was that part of his heart that told him to stay away or get hurt again.

'_No_, _Riku wouldn't. Not again.'_ Sora pressed another kiss to Riku's lips, light but not moving away this time, simply keeping it shallow and licking Riku's bottom lip gently before pressing forward a little more when Riku made a soft noise and reciprocated just as gently. A few long moments later, they parted for a breath, lips shining, and then they were kissing again.

There was hardly any of the previous awkwardness that had plagued them earlier; it took no coaxing for either man to part their lips and deepen it. Almost instantly, Riku tangled his fingers in Sora's hair, drawing the brunet's bottom lip into his mouth and sucking on it teasingly. Moaning quietly, Sora pushed Riku down a little until he was lying flat on his back, following the move easily and kneeling between Riku's parted legs. Pulling away with a soft, wet sound, he panted for breath and arranged himself a little more comfortably with both of his elbows propping him up over the older man. It took only a second for Riku to shift one of his legs and push Sora's knees out so he fell practically right on top of him. Startled, Sora jerked his head up and regarded a smirking Riku with wide blue eyes.

"What?" Riku asked impishly, one hand sliding down to the small of Sora's back, fingers tracing slowly across the barely bared flesh between the blue shirt and comfortable pants. The full-body shudder and the darkening of clear blue eyes made Riku draw in a sharp breath and tug him up for another kiss, just as warm as before only there was the added sensation of closeness that both of them had been missing previously. A small, needy noise escaped Sora when Riku's hand went dangerously close over his ass, teasing him while raising the question he'd been meaning to ask. "…Is this… Is this okay? I mean, it's been years and I don't want to ruin wh-nnnh."

Sora shifted up, pressing his lips to Riku's ear and nipping at the lobe teasingly. "Stop _asking_. It's always been fine with me, Ri. Always."

His hips moved a little bringing a shock of heat zinging through both of them and with a short, sharp breath he did it again, grinding teasingly, smiling against Riku's neck when he groaned quietly and dug his fingers into Sora's waist.

"Always," he said again, shifting one hand down and maneuvering it so it was slipping under the loose shirt Riku wore, exploring taunt, warm skin.

Briefly, Riku wondered if he could switch their positions without making them fall off of the couch, but it was turned a moot point when Sora arched his back and somehow overbalanced the two sending them sprawling on the ground in a tangled mess of arms and legs. Groaning in a way that had nothing to do with pleasure, Riku attempted to disentangle himself from the other man, wincing when he got an accidental elbow in the side.

"Ngh," he finally managed, sitting up and slouching against the couch. The mood should have been killed, but one look at Sora's bright eyes made a small smile curl his lips as well. This… was right, this was familiar; no matter what happened, this was for them and no one else. "Remind me to put in carpet later."

Sora's grin was positively devious now as he crawled forward and knelt, straddling Riku's thighs. "Or, we could be like normal people and use the bed. We've got the entire night, remember?" He nipped at Riku's bottom lip, utterly playful now. "Unless we were planning on using the floor?"

Riku returned the grin, moving to get up and then offering a helping hand to the brunet. The moment they were both standing up, they were kissing again, awkwardly stepping around furniture that was placed in their way while trying to keep the kiss going. A quiet laugh escaped Sora when Riku ran back-first into one of the walls, grunting quietly when Sora tripped and fell against him, snickering quietly.

"So, tell me, Keyblade master," Riku murmured, his hands once more sliding under the hooded sweatshirt Sora wore, "did you use the unending grace to defeat evil?"

Scowling, Sora nipped at Riku's jaw before trailing his lips down and focusing on a spot that he remembered from years ago was sensitive. "No," Sora mouthed against the skin there while his hands trailed up Riku's sides. "It was because I'm the best out there," he teased and smirked up at the man, feigning a lofty expression that was lost when his eyes closed after one of Riku's hands cupped his ass promisingly.

Riku laughed at that, nudging Sora's arms up and pulling his shirt up and over the brunet's head with ease. "I thought that arrogance was my area?" He inquired, absently trailing his fingertips over warm flesh and smirking at the shudder he got in return. Pressing his lips to Sora's shoulder, he was still for a moment, content to just stand there and let his mind fully comprehend the fact that Sora was _there._ As sappy or dare he say, _girly_, as it sounded, he was so relieved that Sora was still around, that he hadn't left like he'd always feared.

"Riku," Sora arched against Riku's body, tilting his head back when the older man licked at his throat. "C-come o-nnhh, _Riku_."

Sora pushed him away just enough to grab his arm and drag him toward the bedroom. The moment they stepped through the doorway seemed to cue the true rush to touch as much skin as possible while divesting each other of that obnoxious thing called clothing. This time it was him purposely pushing Riku up to the wall, tugging up the loose edges of his shirt and fighting to get it off while Riku's own hands were skimming where his pants were, fingertips ghosting under the edges just the smallest bit. "Lift your arms, jerk."

Rolling his eyes, he took care of discarding his shirt himself, throwing it across the room with uncharacteristic carelessness. Kissing Sora hard, he groaned quietly when one of the brunet's hands slid from his stomach up to his chest, ghosting over one of his nipples.

"Pants," Sora moaned into Riku's mouth, arching into the man and kissing back just as hard. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Sora meant by that. Riku's fingers worked quickly and flicked open the button to Sora's jeans, pushing them down the slightest bit and then smirked when Sora pulled back and glared. "I meant _your_ pants."

"Oh?" Riku shrugged. "'Pants' is kind of a broa…ahh…shi- _Sora._"

Smirking smugly at the rushed exhale, Sora pressed a line of kisses down Riku's chest, lingering on the nipple he had been playing with a moment ago and licking it teasingly. Occupying himself with that for a moment, he worked on unfastening the button to Riku's pants and pushing them down as much as he could. At a gentle push against his shoulders, he drew back and Riku kicked his pants away leaving him standing in simple black boxers.

In a daring move he didn't think he had in him, he slid to his knees, hands sliding down Riku's waist and resting low on his hips, his lips pressed just above the line of his boxers. Glancing up, Sora shivered pleasantly when he saw the open look of hunger in Riku's lust-darkened blue-green eyes. Suddenly almost shy –no, not shy, more hesitant- Sora opened his mouth to ask if it- this- was okay, only to have Riku drag his fingers through his hair.

"Remember what you said? You don't need to ask, Sora," he said, his voice only the slightest bit strained. "In fact, I'd really rather you didn't."

Laughing quietly, Sora slipped his fingers under the edge of Riku's boxers, pulling them down and letting them fall to the ground, curling his fingers around Riku's erection and smiling when he heard the shaky exhale of Riku's breath.

A moment later, Riku was certain that the hottest thing he had ever seen was Sora's lips wrapped around him, cheeks flushed and eyes bright. Tilting his head back, he swallowed hard, sifting his fingers through spiked hair and groaning when Sora did that _thing_ with his tongue that he used to do when they were younger.

"Sora, come on, I'm not going to last if you keep doing _that_," Riku ordered hoarsely, tugging gently on Sora's hair and shuddering when Sora moaned low in his throat and set a wave of heat through his body. The brunet slid his hand up and down, following the movements of his head as he worked Riku's length. His other hand moved between Riku's legs, cupping his balls teasingly. "_Sora_."

Sora drew back slowly with a wet noise, his hand taking the place of his mouth as he slowly stood up and licked his lips; the salty, bitter taste not bothering him in the slightest. The time after that was a pleasantly blurred rush, from Riku's breathy moans, to the feel of hot skin under his hands and Riku's larger ones on his skin in return.

"Love you," Riku had groaned into Sora's mouth, kissing him gently and Sora had only been able to choke out a reply before arching his back and snapping his hips up with a strained moan.

That had been the highlight of his night, Sora mused absently, moments after coming and still basking in the afterglow that came after amazingly good sex. Riku's fingers were trailing across the small of his back gently; the slow, steady rhythm of their breathing lulling both of them to sleep.

-

Riku yawned, shifting in the bed only to find himself tangled in the sheets and with a warm brunet man who made a muffled noise of protest when the older one moved.

"S'too early," Sora slurred, opening his eyes a little and glaring at the open window. "Ti'm's it?"

A smile firmly on his lips, Riku glanced over at the clock and then intertwined their legs, grimacing when cold morning air met his toes.

"Push the covers over a little," he said, nudging Sora with his elbow. Another noise met his ears as he felt Sora kick a little and then twist the sheets around with his free hand so they were covered completely. "Seven."

"S'way too early." As if to enforce this, he tucked his head under Riku's chin, using the silver-haired man's arm as a pillow and throwing an arm around his waist, fingers brushing the small of his back. Here, Sora thought sleepily, here is where he always wanted to be. Here is where he and Riku should have been for the past few years, here they could have been if they hadn't been so stubborn.

'_Doesn't matter anymore,_' another voice said. '_You're here now.'_

And it was true.

-

…The end. No, seriously. There will be nothing more to this little AU, just so you all know. XD I have so many other things that I need to work on/I am working on at the moment that it's not even funny. Music Box is still back there, plus so many other fics. If you'd like to keep up on what's coming up/going on, the link to my LJ is in my profile. Also, reviews are wonderful, really. On another note, this took me a very, very long time and I worked hard on it, even though it isn't one of my favorite fics. Please, if you even just liked a little of this, leave a review? Hell, even if you didn't like, tell me why. I adore hearing what you all think.


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